Daijiworld Media Network - Victoria
Victoria, Jun 29: India on Monday firmly distanced itself from media reports suggesting that unofficial Track 2 discussions had taken place between Indian and Pakistani representatives, with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri clarifying that the Government of India had no role in such interactions and does not attach any importance to them.
Responding to questions regarding reports of a meeting involving Indian and Pakistani participants on the sidelines of a regional security conference in Colombo, Misri said such gatherings are routinely organised around the world by private organisations and should not be viewed as official engagements.
He stressed that the events in question were neither organised nor endorsed by the Government of India and that there was no official participation from New Delhi.
According to Misri, retired diplomats, former military officers and members of civil society who attend such conferences do so in their personal capacities and express only their individual views.
He emphasised that these participants do not represent the position of the Indian government under any circumstances and that New Delhi does not take cognisance of such interactions.
Misri added that while he could not comment on Pakistan's position regarding the meetings, India's stand was unambiguous: there was no official involvement, support or recognition of the reported discussions.
His remarks came in response to reports claiming that Indian and Pakistani delegates held Track 2 talks during a security dialogue organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in Colombo. The reports also suggested that former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane and BJP leader Ram Madhav were among those who participated.
Ram Madhav, however, strongly rejected the reports, describing them as a misleading interpretation of a routine international conference.
In a post on X, he clarified that the event was the IISS Annual South Asia Dialogue, attended by scholars and experts from several countries, including India, Sri Lanka, the United States, the United Kingdom, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
He maintained that the conference was not a Track 2 dialogue between India and Pakistan and pointed out that officials from various countries had attended similar editions of the event in previous years.
Madhav further stated that he did not participate in the full two-day conference and was invited only to speak at a single session before leaving. Calling the reports "a complete spin to a non-story", he dismissed suggestions that any structured back-channel dialogue had taken place between India and Pakistan during the event.